It is said that education
is a life long process and we are learning all the time. But simply learning
without being able to repeat that in another situation or occasion is of
no use. Thus we must be able to make use of past experiences. We must be able
to reproduce it. This power of reproduction is known as memory, or the ability
to retain and recall the past events to present consciousness. This
implies that memory is the reproduction of past experience even without the
presence of the stimulus.

Guilford:”Memory is the retention or storage of
information in any form”.

Woodworth & Marquis:”Memory consists in learning what was previously
learned”.

Ryburn:”The power that we have to store our experience
and to bring them back into the field of consciousness some time after the
experience have occurred is termed as memory”.

F’iedsetal:”Memory is the ability to retain & reproduce
impressions once perceived”

Memory is the special
ability of our mind to store when we learn something, to recollect
&reproduce it after some time. Memory is a complex process involving
learning, retention, recall & recognition. The experiences, which we
undergo, leave traces in our minds in the form of 'Schemas‘. The length of our
retention depends on the strength & quality of the traces.

TYPES OF MEMORY:

1.Immediate Memory:

This is also known as
short term memory. This memory is when the individual has to reproduce immediately
after he has learnt something, thus the time span is very less for the matter
to be registered in the consciousness. Hence, the learnt matter is forgotten
rapidly. e.g. we may first look at the seat number of our ticket & once we
sit down we forget about it. In this type of memory, the retention time is very
brief. Immediate memory is needed which helps us to learn a thing immediately
with speed and accuracy, remember it for a short duration and forget it rapidly
after use.

2.Short-term memory:

This type of memory is
also called as temporary memory. It is not short lived as the immediate memory.
The information temporarily stored in short-term memory may last as long as
thirty seconds even if the material is not being rehearsed. However, some people
are able to retain a lot of information in short- term memories by a process
called chunking, which groups information by coding it, e.g. the number
143254376 can be remembered by listing under three heads: 143, 254, 376 for
better remembering.

3.Long term memory:

This is also known as
Permanent Memory. Here the individual learns and retains the information for a
very long period of time. There is an interval of time between learning

& recall or
reproduction. Thus, permanent memory is involved in remembering the account
number of the bank or the phone number etc.

Other types of Memory: Some of the important types of memory are as
follows.

1.Immediate memory:Immediate memory is that which helps us to learn
a thing immediately with speed and accuracy, remembering it for a short time
and forgetting rapidly after use. e.g. seat number of cinema hall.

3.Rote memory:Under rote memory, the things are learnt without
understanding their meaning.

4.Logical memory:Logical memory is based on logical thinking. It
takes into consideration purposeful and insightful learning.

5.Associated memory:The memory which helps to associate the
previously learned things with so many related things and then establish
multiple connections is known as associated memory.

6.Active memory:In active memory one has to remain active and
make deliberate attempts for recollecting the past experience.

7.Passive memory:Here the past experiences are recalled
spontaneously without any serious attempt

So we see that memory is
a process involving learning & reproduction. The amount of material that
can be immediately reproduced after one repetition is calledspan of memory.The phenomenon of memory may be studied under
four different aspects: viz the four R‘s.

1.Registration or Learning

2.Retention

3.Recall

4.Recognition

1.REGISTRATION OR
LEARNING:

Before remembering, it
must be registered or learnt. Learning requires time. It has economical use of
time in learning. The most efficient methods of learning or memorizing that
would yield the best results from the point of view of remembering effectively
for a long time are as follows:

A.Rote Memorization: This is learning without understanding. Yet
meaningful material is easily learnt than non-sense material. It is easier to
learn poetry than prose; prose is easier to learn than disconnected words. Disconnected
words are easier to learn than nonsense words. Thus logical sequence is
important, along with the systematic arrangement of ideas. However, mechanical
learning must be avoided as it is less effective.

B.Spaced V/S Mass Learning: In spaced learning, the learner has been
allowed some rest in memorization. The subject is not required to memorize the
assignment in one continuous time period. Intervals are provided. The Principle
of ‗work & rest‘ is followed. In mass learning, the subject has to memorize
the assigned material at one sitting without any interval or rest, until it is
mastered. Shorter study periods are better for young pupils

& slow learners.
Spaced learning benefits pupils of lower classes, when motivation level is low
or material is complex & difficult to understand. It is better to introduce
periods of rest while studying. This helps in removing the monotony of long
periods of study. Attention also does not flag and fatigue is avoided. Mass
learning is effective when the pupils are very

intelligent or are
highly motivated. Although, both the methods of learning are found to be useful
and effective in one situation or the other, success in the use of a particular
method depends more on the abilities of the individual and the nature and range
of the material to be memorized than on the method itself.

C.Whole verses Part method
of learning:Let‘s take the example
of a poem, when the poem is read again & again from start to finish; this
is whole method of learning. This method can be adopted when the material is
not very lengthy & when the material is logically arranged. Less time is
used compared to part method. Here again the poem for example is broken down to
parts or stanzas & then learnt, thus slow learners & average students
are benefitted . The learner is motivated each time he masters the parts. Thus
the whole content is slowly mastered. Even when the material is large & is
not well organized, this method can be used.

D.Recitation:The best method of learning is when by the
student reads the lesson few times & then reviews the lesson without the
book i.e. he recites the material learnt to him. Studies have shown that self
recitation is better & time saving than just reading & re-reading
because permanent retention is achieved. Learner is able to detect his weakness
& rectify them. Thus he knows his progress as well.

E.Mnemonic Devices: Grouping always helps to memorize easily, thus
we learn poetry easily compared to prose, but many material come without such
natural grouping. Thus artificial associations are made to associate the ideas
or the material. Thus memory which is improved by use of artificial associates
is called Mnemonics. Thus things are learnt verbatim without understanding
it .e.g. VIBGYOR whose letters represent the colours of the rainbow.

2.RETENTION:

The process of learning
involves the stage of retention. Thus learning becomes permanent. 'Retention is
the inactive state of learnt activity‘. The learning activity leaves a mark on
the brain structure. This mark is called a 'Memory Trace‘ which is imprinted on
the Cerebral Cortex. This preservation of the memory trace in the brain is
retaining of the learning activity. This can be compared to the traces or marks
in the sand e.g. our footprints made on the sand. The deeper the trace, the
longer the retention, while the weak traces slowly fade away.

Memory can be improved,
but the depth of the trace or retention is difficult to improve by practice,
the reason being the traces that are made, depend on the genetic inheritance.

Retention however can be
measured in three ways:

a) Recall b)
Recognition & c) Relearning.

a)Recall Method:Is a direct method of testing retention, where
the capacity to recall & reproduce is tested. We can recall matter, only if
we have retained it. e.g. in a writing a test: the pupil‘s retention &
recall is tested. But sometimes we are not able to recall, even when we know
the matter. So we cannot measure the retention. Therefore this is the poorest
retention score of all that is learnt.

b)Recognition Method: This method is widely used now. A response
given from which the pupil has to pick out the correct answer or recognize the
correct answer. This ability of recognizing the correct answer helps measure
the power of retention. This has a higher score of testing retention than
recall method & also puts less strain on the child e.g. multiple choice
questions, or questions based on a picture or map.

c)Relearning Method: Lets give an example ABC is learning a long
poem & it takes him 20 minutes & 4 trials to memorize it. After a few
days ABC again learns the poem & now in 10 minutes & two trials he
learns it fully. Thus we can assume that retention has taken place because the
time & the number of trials have reduced. Thus this method is the best
compared to recognition & recall methods.

3.RECALL-

The third aspect of
memory is recall. We learn because we need to recall them at some point of time
or other. So we can say that recall is the mental revival of past experiences.
It is the least index of retention because we are unable to remember even
though we know it. Recall depends on the mental condition & the memory
trace formed.

4.RECOGNITION –

Recall & recognition
are closely related. Recall provides the material in memory, while recognition
is the process of accepting or rejecting. Recognition is better than recall as
an index of retention. Recognition starts with the object given whereas recalls
find the object from the mind. Thus, when we meet a person, recognize that
person‘s face, but may not be able to recall his name. Recognition is more a
passive behavior than an active process like recall.

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